How to Make Adaptations to Check In/Check Out to Increase Its Effectiveness

Multi-tiered systems of support are frequently used in school settings because of their efficiency and effectiveness (McIntosh & Goodman, 2016). The rationale for multi-tiered systems of support is to provide early and systematic intervention to all students with increasing intensity of intervention provided as needed (Sugai & Horner, 2009). These systems generally offer three levels of support in which Tier 1 is applied with all students in a school, Tier 2 is used with about 15% of students who are at risk for more serious concerns, and Tier 3 is reserved for 3-5% of the school population with the most serious academic or behavior problems. Tier 2 supports have been defined as interventions that are standardized across students and are quickly and continuously available (Hawken, Adolphson, MacLeod, & Schumann, 2009). One common Tier 2 intervention is Check In/Check Out (CICO). As with all Tier 2 interventions, CICO is designed to reduce mild problem behavior and increase academic engagement (Crone, Hawken, & Horner, 2010). Although Tier 2 support was initially conceptualized as employing standardized intervention protocols for ease of implementation, researchers and practitioners have begun to make adaptations to standard protocols to increase their effectiveness (e.g., Boyd & Anderson, 2013; Kilgus, Fallon, & Feinberg, 2016; Melius, Swoszowski, & Siders, 2015). Adaptations are changes to core components of the standard protocol (Majeika et al., in press). These changes require a problem solving process to tailor a program so that it is better aligned with student needs. After providing an overview of CICO, this article addresses how adaptations can be beneficial, how they have been made, and when they should be made. Additionally, it discusses ways to adapt CICO, modifying the intensity or dosage of CICO, and individualizing components to meet students' needs. Classroom case studies and steps to fading CICO are also described.